4th April 2013, Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, India. View of the Spencer Processing Mill (dyeing unit) on the banks of a polluted river on the 4th April 2013 at Periyapalayam, Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, India. Drains from the plant do open out onto the river bank though how much liquid and of what type might be discharged is open to question. Dyeing factories like this are allowed to continue operating on the banks of rivers in Tamil Nadu despite legislation that specifically prohibits it due to a so-called 'Grandfather Clause' which allows for factories which are already established to continue and not to have to re-locate, this allows for continued potential dumping of waste into the water courses by unscrupulous operators.

Since the explosion of the dyeing industry in Tamil Nadu between 1986 and 1989 when factory numbers soared from 99 to 450 the state has seen dramatic degradation of its rivers and water sources. Local activism continues to monitor and highlight the ongoing environmental impact